The much-loved McCoo art empire was in disarray yesterday as staff say they were sent packing with no promise of wages.
Steven Brown Art – behind the iconic multi-coloured Highland Cow prints which adorn thousands of Scottish homes – is understood to have left dozens of workers fearing redundancy at the Ayrshire shop.
One angry worker said employees had been “shafted” and were told they wouldn’t be paid for time already worked.
Yesterday staff were met with silence.
Stunned workers were told on Monday they no longer had jobs and the main showroom in Ayr’s Newmarket Street remained closed yesterday.
Artist Brown was accused of failing to return staff calls.
The 47-year-old director, who runs the firm with his wife Caroline, is understood to have employed more than 30 staff at its peak.
Workers said Caroline, 50, delivered the devastating news on Monday.
A source said: “Somebody asked if they still had jobs and she said, ‘No’.”
That same day, the artist took to the Steven Brown Art Official Fan Page on Facebook to tell customers the business was just being revamped.
Brown wrote: “I can’t believe what I’m seeing on here...DO NOT panic or start rumours NOR listen to any. We’re back online tomorrow and the store in Ayr is going to be refurbed.
“We are now having a extremely well-deserved break. So you lot just calm down and wait for the NEW launch soon.”
The firm’s website was still down last night.
In April, another shop in Ayr’s Newmarket Street closed and one in Glasgow’s Silverburn mall shut.
When we called, a staff member said no one was available to deal with our inquiry.
